by debbie
Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2009 at 9:54 PM
Statement from 17 year old arrested and deported on public RTA bus in Rubidoux (over phone, 11am this morning) , and from witnesses of yesterday's incident taken this morning while on foot and riding bus around 7:30 am.
6/23/09
from debbie
I spoke over the phone to Luis this morning in Mexicali. He gives the following testimony that yesterday morning he boarded the bus to go to work, in Rubidoux around 42nd st bus stop when the Border Patrol boarded the bus, closed off the doors so nobody could come in or out, and started asking for ID's. They took him and he thinks 5 other people with them into custody to the border patrol station.
The bus drivers were also interviewed this morning in Rubidoux. They say everyone was talking about it at the bus station this morning (drivers). It was the westbound route towards Limonite Ave that was approached by the border patrol They say this is the fist they've ever seen this before in 30 years of driving (one of the two RTA bus drivers says, his name was Albert driving the same route that was "attacked" yesterday morning).
The workesr at Jiminez Market (corner of Rubidoux Blvd. and Mission) report seeing border patrol in the parking lot on opposite side of them on rubidoux blvd with 5 or 6 people getting arrested and taken into custody. This seems to conflict with the original amount, so either these were additional people also taken into custody yesterday morning, or something else.
I asked Luis if the border patrol had been following him or in contact with him in any way before he boarded the bus--to dispell the belief of bus drivers that they would only have boarded bus like that if they were chasing someone in particular. But Luis says--no, that he was not aware of anything, never had any encounter with immigraiton before nor any previous deportation. He says he was just boarding the bus to go to work when the agents got on board, sealed off the exits, and ultimately took him and others into custody.
Luis says his parents live here in California. He was released to a shelter for minors in Mexicali. they were very protective of him when I called this morning. Two different people screened my call before allowing me to speak to him, and then also advised me that nobody is allowed to come pick him up without consent from parents, etc. , which I assured them that was not my intention.